Ice Breaker
by yun.firestorm
Summary: Who's that mysterious girl in Horo's life? How is she related to Kororo? Why is Kororo leaving? Who is Kororo to Horokeu? Read up to get your answers!
1. The Parting

**A/N:** Hello all you people out there. My first shaman king fic. The pace would be much faster than my previous work – like duh, my last one had a really sloooooooow pace. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy, do review. Thanks.  
  
Ice Breaker

A tall slender lady creeps towards the sliding door, just as she's about to open it, she hears someone stirring behind her.

"Mmm… Someone's being rude now, no goodbye this time?" he said in a muffled voice with eyes still shut.

She turns around slowly and smiles shyly at the young lad, "I'm sorry, it's just that, I thought you were asleep already."

He rubs his eyes and pushes himself up, "I'm joking, but do take care alright?" he whispers, giving her a grin.

"Don't worry, I will." She said, gently pushing the door open, "Goodbye, see you in a week." And she vanishes, leaving the door slightly ajar as the chilling wind blew in.

The boy lets out a soft sigh and mummers to himself, "it's gonna be a long week…"

Horo Horo looked lazily at the scene before him. Yoh and Anna was about to go off for a walk while Tamao, Pirika, Ryu and Chocolove were having a snowball fight in the snow-covered lawn. Usually, he would love to join them. But not today he thought. He always seemed to get these sort of 'withdrawal symptoms' during the first few days she left.

"Hey," Manta walked over and sat beside Horo Horo "not boarding despite the good weather?"

"Not now, Manta" He gives him a weak smile. Today's the first day she's gone he thought. Just then, a snowball hits him, smack in the face.

Manta's face twitched as he looked at the ice shaman, awaiting him to deliver the punishment upon the offender. Horo Horo hated getting smashed by snowballs when he's not involved in the snowball fight. Usually, when that happens, he would mercilessly get Kororo to summon up some mini personal snowstorm on the offender regardless of whether the hit was intentional or not.

But not today.

Horo Horo lazily brushed the snow off his face before picking up the cup of tea beside him and started to gingerly sip it. While in the background, Chocolove lets out a huge sigh of relief. Guess Horo's in a good mood today thought the wannabe comedian.

"Brother! Stop being so lifeless there! What's wrong?" Pirika asked as she ran towards her brother.

"Oh nothing," he gives her the same smile he gave Manta just moments ago. No snowstorm today, he thought.

Pirika blinked at her dazed looking older brother wondering what the source of his lifelessness was, and then it struck her, "Ahh. It's _that_ time already isn't it?" she smiled.

"Yup. Smart girl," He gave her a wry grin and slowly stood up, "well, I'm really hungry now, Manta, want to grab a bite?"

Manta who had been listening to the conversation between the siblings scrambled up, following the tired looking Ainu to the kitchen.

Horo Horo sifted through the fridge and picked out some ingredients for a sandwich, as Manta sat silently at the table looking at the Ainu's clockwork movements.

"Horo, I – you – wha – what does Pirika mean when she says that it's _that_ time? What time is it?" Manta blurts out, the whole enigma was killing him. He couldn't take it any longer!

Horo Horo shifted his sight from the sandwich in his hands to the short boy in front of him, then, in a voice barely audible he answered,

"It's time for Kororo to go home"

**  
A/N:** Alright. So how was it? I hope that was a good start, it's been so eons since I wrote a piece of fanfic. Hur. Want to know more? Drop me a review. Thanks!


	2. Flashback: 10 Years Back

_Flashback: 10 years ago_

"Here Dad! I see a whole field of them!" the young boy shouted at the tall figure a meter behind as he rushed into the field ahead.

* * *

Hi, I'm Horo Horo, a proud member of the Ainu tribesmen from Northern Japan. There's not many of us around here in this age now. Many of those who were of our bloodline living in cities choose to deny their heritage and be part of the 'norm'. We the Ainu – I'm referring to us who don't deny our origins, alright? – have been living with nature our entire life. Here, we believe humans and nature can live in harmony. And before you start thinking that we're some primitive cave people, I assure you, we're not. I mean come on; I can speak Japanese for goodness sake! (A/N: Ainu language is rather different from the Japanese we all know, so yea.) 

Alright alright, before I digress any further; well, it started out as an ordinary afternoon as I went out to pick herbs with my Dad. In my hurry, I accidentally tripped over something, I look back to see what is it that I tripped over and I see a small petite little doll crushed under my leg. I quickly recoil my body as my father rushes towards me. "Horokeu, are you alright?" He asks as he offers a hand to pull me up. I got up on my feet and looked at the figure I tripped over. It's shivering now. So it's alive! I gasped in amazement and held it in my hands and just as I was about to ask my father about it, he answers me: It's a Koroppo Kuru.

"You're lying!" I remember exclaiming "She can't be, she's so small and – and adorable while Gororo is so huge and scary!" I made a funny face at Dad.

I guess you must be laughing at ignorant me now. Father smiled at me and ruffled my hair a little, "Well, like how all humans differ, the Koroppo Kurus are different too. They each have a special skill and their own unique looks."

I looked at the frightened figure in my palms and gave it a gentle smile, "Hello, I'm Horo Horo. I'm sorry I tripped over you, I hope you're not hurt," She shook her head vigorously and looked at me wide-eyed. She was just so adorable I thought. I placed her back on the ground as Dad and I hurried off to gather the needed herbs.

Two weeks later, after my daily morning run, I found myself wandering near the place where I first saw that small little Koroppo Kuru. I found myself thinking of the little figure rather often. Why was she there that day? What was she doing? Why was she alone?

"Ouch!" I tripped over a rock and found myself sliding down the cliff. I tried to grab the vines growing along the cliff but found my arms to be too tired to hold on. Damn!

That was the last thing I remembered before I fainted.

Some time later, I felt woozy and my vision was a blur but slowly, the scenes were coming back. I tried to push myself up but felt a jolt of pain coming from my arms. I looked at my arms, they were blood stained. A dark crimson red flowing from the deep gashing wounds. I sighed, now how, Horo? I cursed under my breath. No one's gonna realize that I'm gone until noon. After all, I was barely of any significance in school. Then again, Mum's still gonna kill me for not informing her that I'm out again. I leaned against the solid earth behind me and shut my eyes. Gosh, I hope I don't bleed to death or something.

I sense something cold. What's wrong? My arms feel like they're freezing.

I opened my eyes; it's that Koroppo Kuru! She's freezing my wounds. I reached out and gave her a pat, twitching a little due to the pain.

"T-thanks" I gasped weakly. She looked at me, wide-eyed like that day and beamed cheerily at me. She flopped off and left me. Oh well, guess my little doll's off. I grinned to myself. I liked her; maybe if I could one day be a shaman like my Dad, I'll ask her to be my spirit ally.

I tried to push myself up once more but as I got to my feet, I felt another current of pain and fell back down. My shin, it's broken! Guess I'm in a worst scenario than I thought I'm in.

I looked up; the cliff is wasn't really that steep, if I weren't injured, I should be able to scale it with ease. If only. I've really been a klutz lately. First, that poor Koroppo Kuru, then now that rock. I sighed. No wonder everyone refuses to befriend me. I'm the slow learner, the careless one, that hotheaded idiot. No one liked a bothersome child like me with barely any strength to boast of. I was weak and timid, always getting pushed around by the guys in school. The only thing I was fairly good at was snowboarding. I loved the way I seemed to flow with nature whenever I'm boarding. I sighed again. What a useless skill, Horo! Why can't I be like Pirika? Everyone likes her, she's studious, careful, friendly and stubborn as she might be, she's never as rash as I am.

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't notice anyone approaching. A frail old guy in tribal robes walked up to me and placed his hands on my iced arms. That little Koroppo Kuru is beside him. Did she get him over? Is he her master? Before I could ask any questions, a tingly and warm feeling wrapped my arm. It no longer hurts! I looked at him in amazement. So he's not her master! He's a Koroppo Kuru too! I guess, they really come in all sizes and powers, I grinned to myself. Just as he was about to walk off, I heard myself asking him "Erm… Could you help with this too?", pointing to my broken leg. I gave him a wry grin. His blank face crimpled and a tingle of a smile creep onto his lips as he healed my leg. After I thanked him, he gave me a weary wave and started walking off. I gingerly stood up and started stretching. Yup. That old guy was good. I looked around to see if I could thank the small Koroppo Kuru for her help but to no avail. Oh well. I guess she ran off already.

Just then, as I prepared to climb up the cliff, I felt a gentle tug on my robes. I turned to see that familiar figure behind, a huge apple – okay, maybe not that huge, but it looked huge when she was carrying it – in her tiny hands. She handed me the apple and quickly walked off. I was too stunned to say anything.

After that incident, I found myself going back to the cliff very often. Every morning after my jog, day after day, week after week, month after month, I would sit there and wait for her. She would come every morning without fail, an apple in hand for me. Then, we would sit and watch the sunrise. Her name's Kororo, she was my first friend.

In less than six months time, Kororo and I became really good friends. She seemed to understand me better than all those kids in school. I brought her home a couple of times before, everyone in the family seemed to like her. I also brought her boarding a couple of evenings after school before. It was funny looking at how she'll hide in my jacket. I guess she was afraid I'll crash us into a tree or something.

Soon, almost a year had passed. Now that I'm an official Ainu shaman, it's time to find myself some strong allies. I did the same thing I have been doing all these months and went to the cliff the very next morning I was official. I wanted Kororo to join me. She would be happy for me. I skipped my runs that morning and rushed over with an outfit I got Pirika to make for her.

She never turned up that morning.

**  
A/N:** Thanks for reading and reviewing. I just got an interesting idea which I should be putting into the story. With that idea, I'll fill up the something I've always wanted Takei Hiroyuki to write about – Horo Horo's past. Hopefully, the idea would round up at least something for me about Horokeu as well as give the plot a little twist.


	3. An update ! At last !

**Major Spoiler!!!**

Oh gosh. Almost like what I was initially planning. I knew it! Kororo's the only one for him. Muhahahhaa.

Yayness. I'm so glad Shaman King continued this way. Horo's sorry is finally out. Though it's not as tragic as I would like though. Ha.

I'm gonna take a different direction now that things have been revealed, but i'm still keeping with my original theme. But i think i might add on for Horo's tale. Hurrr. Life is wonderful~!


End file.
